


Highschool Sweethearts

by vcdbtch



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arthur being a softie, Boys In Love, Cuddling & Snuggling, High School Reunion, Kissing, M/M, Merlin is a dad, Merthur - Freeform, My boys being a family, mentioned car accidents, past Merlin/Arthur - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:53:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vcdbtch/pseuds/vcdbtch
Summary: Arthur had a plan for today. He was going to wake up, go on a run, get coffee on the way to work, come home and watch movies until bed time. He's not exactly sure how Morgana managed to drag him off the couch, all he know's is that he's back in his highschool assembly hall in a stuffy suit, wishing he were literally anywhere but here.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Kudos: 17





	Highschool Sweethearts

Arthur had a plan for the day. He was going to wake up, go on a run, get coffee on the way to work, come home and watch movies until bed time. His friends would probably end up trying to rope him into going to a bar but he would refuse, opting to watch movies instead. 

He's not really sure how Morgana managed to drag him to their high school reunion. All he knows is he's currently in his high school assembly hall in a stuffy suit, a drink in hand while listening to his Sister chat to her old cheerleading friends. It was extremely hot inside the hall, he had ditched the suit jacket a few hours ago so now he was in a white button up that -in his opinion- complemented his muscles just right. 

"Arthur" Morgana hit him on the arm, giving him a disapproving look and Arthur realised he zoned out halfway through the conversation.

"Vivian and Cendred were just saying how they're expecting their second child in a few months" Morgana gestured to the couple. Vivian's stomach was swelled, her dress flowing nicely over her stomach. Arthur never liked Cendred or Vivian back in high school, they were the prom king and queen and always made sure people knew it. They were snobby, disrespectful to teachers and always liked to pick on the younger kids.

"i'm happy for you" Arthur smiled, because he was. He was happy for the couple for becoming a family, he just hoped they would raise their children better then they were.

After chatting with Vivian and Cendred for what felt like forever, Arthur and Morgana moved around the hall. There were what seemed like hundreds of people in nice dresses and suits, most of them in large groups by the buffet table or the stage. There were round tables all around with champagne on ice in the middle of the table, some people sitting alone while they waited for their partners to come back or some were just alone. There was a smaller table in the back of the room for the kids who's parents had no other choice but to bring them with a few adults sitting at the table to keep an eye on them.

It didn't take long for Morgana to spot another lot of her friends and left Arthur standing alone at the buffet table. With nothing else to do, he scanned the room for anyone that he knew. He saw most of his old footy team with their partners in a large group at the back of the room, their laughter echoing in the large room. 

Arthur briefly felt a pang in his heart at the sight. Years ago, he would have been in amongst that group, laughing and making jokes about the other players. That all went out the window when he came out as Bisexual and was kicked from the footie team and everyone started making rumours about him, saying he was sleeping with one of the other players. One or two of the members were on his side, but the majority preferred beating him up and starting rumours about him. Despite what people said, he was perfectly capable of defending himself, he just didn't want to waste his energy on homophobes.

***

About three hours in and Arthur was totally bored out of his mind. Morgana had been dragging him around in circles for the past half hour, stopping every few minutes to talk to her girlfriends, leaving Arthur awkwardly standing near them like a looser until they moved on. He had only seen 4 of his friends so far, and those 4 were people he only liked because they were available at the time.

He sighed a breath of relief when he spotted Gwen and Lance - two of the very few friends he actually liked being around - standing near the buffet table. Morgana was still busy gossiping to her friends about who knows what, so he decided to actually talk to someone instead of being a third wheel.

"Arthur!" Gwen smiled brightly, stepping forward to wrap him in a one arm hug, the other arm being deathly gripped by Lance's own. Lance smiled bright as well and gave him a side hug, a bit rougher than Gwen's was.

"how have you been?" Lance asked, wrapping a posessive arm around Gwen's waist who didn't seem to notice.

"I've been good. The company is going good, actually we just got a new secretary who is already far more competent than any of the past ones we've had. Father doesn't have the best track record with hiring secretaries, let's just say that" Arthur explained, since it was the only thing he could really tell them about. Nothing interesting had happened in Pendragon industries for years until they got a new secretary. The closest thing to exciting was when the elevator broke down and some people got stuck for half an hour, but that was soon forgot about.

"yeah, he wasn't the smartest bulb in the box" Lance snickered, causing Gwen to hit his arm with a shy smile.

"Nope" Arthur agreed. "Anyway, how have you both been?"

"We're actually buying a house together in a couple of weeks, a nice little cottage in the valley" Gwen exclaimed.

Arthur didn't even know the two had gotten together, let alone planned to buy a house together but he figured he wasn't friends with any of these people anymore, just people you say hello to in the supermarket, promise to catch up for coffee but never do.

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Arthur smiled, though his heart was clenching painfully when he remembered he didn't have anyone to go home to that night. How pathetic was that? 29 year's old and the closest thing he has to a Husband is his cranky old cat who sleeps all day anyway.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone soon" Gwen assured him, somehow picking up on his thoughts. "What ever happened to that cheerleader you dated?"

"Sophia?" Arthur grimaced when Gwen nodded. "I found out she was only after me for my money which was a given, but I would rather break it off with her and be alone then be with someone who didn't really love me. You know?"

Both Gwen and Lance shifted uncomfortably at that, and Arthur suddenly remembered the year where they were both dating someone they didn't love because they thought the other didn't like them back. It was a very stressful year for their friends who could see the unconditional love between the two, but had to watch them kiss other people, sometimes in front of each other.

"Anyway" Lance changed the topic. "have you seen any of the old gang around? We only got here a few minutes ago"

"No I haven't. I think I Gwaine and Percy are around here somewhere but I haven't talked to any of them" Arthur said, opting out of talking about his old footie mates.

"I think I saw Merlin around here somewhere" Gwen said shyly, like she wasn't sure what Arthur's reaction would be.

Arthur snapped his head around from where he was looking around the room to look at her with wide eyes. Merlin was his first boy kiss, first boyfriend and first time all in one year. Some say Arthur changed a lot when he met Merlin, they say he became less full of himself and started treating people with respect without noticing. Arthur loved him more than he loved anyone, and he was already planning a future together. Then Merlin's dad got a job in Dublin and the whole family, including Merlin, had to pack up and leave halfway through year 11. Of course, they tried long distance and Arthur's Father paid for him to fly over there a few times a year but it wasn't enough so they decided it would be better if they broke it off.

"Merlin's here?" Arthur asked, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his first love - who he hadn't seen in 10 years - was in the same room as him and he didn't notice.

"yeah, I saw him talking to Gwaine when we got here" Lance said, his eyes scanning the room until he visibly lit up and pointed behind Arthur. "there he is"

Arthur turned around and his breath hitched when his eyes locked on him. He was crouched down by the kid table, helping one of the kids colour in. Even from seeing him at a distance, Arthur's heart was racing and his palms suddenly got very sweaty, the same way they did when he had a crush on Merls and acted like a school girl.

"I'm gonna-" Arthur said, pointing towards him but before he could even finish his sentence, Gwen and Lance were ushering him off already. Arthur gave a distracted smile back at them and started to walk over, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants as he did so.

When he got close enough, he could see the little girl Merlin was leaning over looked a lot like him - the same dark hair, blue eyes and sharp cheekbones - and Arthur's heart clenched at the thought of her being Merlin's daughter.

"Merlin" Arthur breathed out. Merlin looked up at him and his eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish before he stood up. Arthur noticed him keep a hand on the little girl's shoulder, probably to stop her from running off. Said little girl didn't even notice him, just kept colouring messily with a small smile on her face.

"Arthur" Merlin said. "h-how are you?"

'I-i'm good" Arthur said, mesmerised by Merlin's features. His hair was shorter than it was when he last saw him, it curled at the top of his head and drooped over his forehead. He seemed to have grown into his ears - his jawline and cheekbones weren't as prominent but still sharper than the average person. His eyes were still the same breathtaking blue with a sparkle. From what Arthur could see under the blue dress shirt and black dress pants that seemed a size too small, Merlin also grew taller and filled out a little more. Though he was still as skinny as ever with unbelievably long legs, he looked to have gained a bit more muscle which made him ever so delectable.

"that's good" Merlin smiled. "d-do you want to sit down or something?"

"I don't want to intrude" Arthur said, glancing down at the little girl who was still intently colouring, well scribbling.

"oh no, it's alright. I want to hear about your life, how you've been and all that sap" Merlin waved him off, turning to crouch next to the little girl again - Arthur definitely did not look at his arse as he did so.

"Heidi, I'm gonna go talk with a friend for a while. I'll be over there if you need me okay?" Merlin said, pointing towards the table.

"Okay Daddy" Heidi said without looking up. Merlin stood up and rolled his eyes, gesturing for Arthur to sit down at the table closest to the kids.

Arthur stumbled a bit when he sat down, too busy trying to wrap his head around Merlin being a Father. Back in highschool, Arthur and Merlin were attached at the hip so it was hard for him to imagine them moving on and starting a life with different people.

“so, how have you been?” Arthur asked when they sat down.

“I’ve been good. Nothing really exciting happened after Heidi was born, apart from moving back to London and her going to school and all that”

“when did you come back? last i heard you were living in Dublin” Arthur asked

“yeah i lived in Dublin until Heidi was born, Mum and Dad had passed on by then so i wanted to be somewhere familiar. You know?”

Arthur nodded in understanding. When his Mother died while on a family vacation, all Arthur wanted to do was go back home and be with his friends i’m familiar surroundings.

“what about you? How’s the company?” Merlin asked, taking a sip of his water. Arthur almost chuckled at that. Back high school, Merlin would never touch alcohol to save his life.

“how do you know about that? We haven’t talked to eachother in over a decade” Arthur tried to keep his tone light but it was failing. He was devastated when Merlin had to move and he was even more devastated when they broke up and eventually stopped talking all together.

"I have a phone, you know?" Merlin chuckled. Arthur wasn't really sure if that was his response to knowing about the company or them not talking, but he decided to brush past it.

"Well theres nothing new in Pendragon industries. Well, Father did recently get a new secretary and people are speculating how long this ones going to last for, but other than that" Arthur trailed off, realising how pathetic he seemed.

"Well who knows, maybe they'll be you're soulmate" Merlin joked, missing the way Arthur's smile faltered. That was the thing, Merlin was his soulmate and after seeing him again, he could still be.

"maybe" Arthur said, taking a sip of his own drink.

The conversation soon drifted to talking about what they had gotten up to after high school. Merlin, apparently travelled to various countries in the world and even met some famous people along the way. He briefly mentioned Heidi's birth, but managed to manoeuvre the conversation around the topic of her Mother which Arthur respected. It wasn't like they were friends anymore, they probably wouldn't even see each other again after tonight.

In turn, Arthur talked about how his Father had the idea of starting Pendragon industries and how Arthur became the one to inherit it, once Uther passes on. He also mentioned the gap year he took where he went to Australia. He briefly thought about leaving out the part where he met a girl and got engaged, but figured he wasn't going to keep it from Merlin just because they used to date. Though, he did notice a flash of something akin to disappointment before it was replaced with a bright smile that still somehow managed to make his stomach flutter.

Halfway through their conversation, Heidi crawled onto Merlin's lap and snuggled into his chest.

"Sorry, it's been a long day. I guess she's getting tired." Merlin smiled apologetically, carding his fingers through her long hair while trying to get up.

"it's alright." Arthur said, standing up as well. He was a little disappointed to say goodbye so fast but he understood they had their own lives.

"How about you come for a walk with us?" Merlin blurted out, followed by his eyes widening. "uh I mean, if you want to. It's just- it will probably take a while for her to go to sleep and I figured-"

"Merlin" Arthur shook his head fondly. "I would love to come with you. We can catch up a bit more and you can tell me some more about her"

Merlin beamed at him, a bright toothy smile that made his insides clench. Worry briefly flashed in his mind at the feeling, wondering why it was suddenly coming back, but he pushed it down and followed Merlin to the exit.

***

There was a slight chill to the air as they stepped outside. The moon was shining brightly through the haze of clouds, shiny stars scattering the sky. When Arthur saw Merlin shiver as the cool air hit them, he draped his blazer over his shoulders whilst trying to ignore the funny feeling in his stomach the sight of Merlin and his daughter swimming in his clothes gave him.

"So, where did you want to go?" Arthur asked, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his dress pants and breathing in the fresh air.

"we usually just go to the park or something but she seems pretty tired already so I might just go home, if you want to come with me? We can have some tea and catch up" Merlin suggested hesitantly. "Unless you want to go home"

"I don't mind, it's better that following Morgana around in a cramped room for the next 3 hours" Arthur chuckled.

"Alright, well I don't live far" Merlin said. Arthur nodded and quietly fell into step with him, his mind still buzzing with questions and resurfaced feelings but he didn't dare voice them, not yet.

Turns out, Merlin really didn't live far, two blocks from the school to be exact. The apartment building was one of the smaller, older buildings along that street but the sidewalks were kept clean and there was only minimal paint chipping, certainly not a place Arthur would choose for himself but it could be a lot worse. Arthur wordlessly opened the door to the complex, letting Merlin and Heidi pass through before walking after them. He did the same thing with the elevator, pressing the buttons and acknowledging Merlin's thank you smiles with a small nod and a smile himself.

When they got to Merlin's apartment, Arthur turned and asked him where his keys were.

"They're in my back pocket" Merlin said, shifting as if he expected Arthur to grab them for him. When Arthur gave him a nervous glance, Merlin nodded with a small smile, letting him know it was okay.

Arthur carefully reached into the back pocket of Merlin's dress pants, his heart rate sky rocketing at the warmth radiating through the fabric. He made quick work to retrieve the keys and unlock the door in an attempt to hide the blush on his cheeks. He had no idea why his body was suddenly making him act like a teenager with a crush but he decided to push thoughts he was having down until he could think about them better.

Merlin's apartment was exactly how he expected it to be, clean. Merlin was always a clean freak as a teen, constantly washing his hands and keeping every surface in his house free of any sort of dirt or grime. By the looks of it, he hadn't changed much in 10 years. There were books stacked neatly on a table underneath a window in the living room, probably a makeshift bookcase - ether that or Merlin was simply too lazy to put them away - with a few succulents on the table as well. The kitchen was spotless, dishes stacked in the drainer, benches wiped clean, the tiles on the floor also looked to be freshly cleaned. The only mess in the living room was the pile of kids toys in the corner beside the TV unit.

"still a neat freak huh, Merlin" Arthur teased, amused at the bright flush that graced Merlin's cheeks at the comment. Merlin mumbled a quiet 'shut up' as he passed, assumably heading towards Heidi's bedroom. Arthur decided to linger near the doorway, unsure if it was appropriate to follow Merlin or to sit down anywhere. Luckily, only a few minutes passed before Merlin came back into the living room.

"you know you could have sat down, right?" Merlin smiled, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for Arthur to do the same. Arthur shrugged sheepishly, sitting on the opposite end of the couch and twisting his body to face the other better.

After an a comfortable silence settled over them, Arthur had the chance to think about what the fuck was happening. At the start of the day, he had hoped to just come home and watch a movie so being dragged to his high school reunion where he was bound to see some people he would rather not really put a notch in his bedpost. Then after following Morgana around like a lost puppy for 3 hours, he learned that his high school sweetheart was back in town and as reluctant as he was, he decided to talk to him. After that, Arthur had learnt Merlin had a child and once said child fell asleep, he found himself following someone he hadn't seen for over 10 years for a walk which somehow ended up in Merlin's apartment.

"do you want something to drink? I think I have some tea or coffee" Merlin asked, breaking Arthur out of his thoughts. He wasn't really thirsty but he figured caffeine would help with his nerves so he nodded.

"Coffee please"

Merlin smirked at him as he stood up. "still wont drink tea?"

Arthur glared at him blankly. "I tried it once and I almost burnt my tongue off, so I'm good"

"you know you only burnt yourself because you drank it straight after putting the water in" Merlin called from the kitchen and Arthur could almost hear the smile on his face. It helped settle Arthur's nerves a little to hear Merlin make jokes as if Arthur's heart wasn't threatening to burst from his chest.

A few moments later, Merlin returned with two steaming cups of coffee, passing one to Arthur as he sat down. Arthur instantly took a sip, thankful he didn't burn himself because that would be utterly embarrassing.

"So, uh what else do you want to know?" Merlin said, looking up at Arthur with a look in his eyes that made his breath hitch.

"Hm?" Arthur replied, too distracted by the glimmer in Merlin's eyes to fully understand what he was being asked.

"you said earlier you wanted to talk more, so what do you want to know?" Merlin repeated and Arthur almost slapped himself for getting so distracted.

"Right, uh lets start with Dublin. What exactly did you do there? You didn't say much when you left, only that your Dad got a job and you had to move"

"I know and I'm sorry, it was all just so stressful. Dad only found out he got the job two days before we left so we had to find somewhere to live, someone to buy our house. We were so busy packing and cleaning that I sort of forgot about my own life and I only really had time to meet you all at the coffee shop to explain everything and then we left the next morning" Merlin explained. "Dad got a job as a investigator In one of the biggest crime fighting units in Dublin so it was sort of a once in a lifetime kind of situation. I went to a school near my house for the rest of my school years then after I graduated I went to uni to be a nurse and once I finished that, I went on to be a med student then worked my way up to a nurse."

"wow, I never would have pictured you as a med student. I thought you always wanted to race cars or something idiotic" Arthur teased.

"oi, I'm very good a racing thank you very much, I only crashed that one time and it was because a bird hit the car and I got distracted." Merlin defended himself, rolling his eyes when Arthur held his hands up in mock surrender. "and yes I did, but I started watching Greys anatomy and I kind of wanted to be like them so I did."

Arthur snorted. "of course you did"

"Anyway, I'm glad I did otherwise I never would have met Freya" Merlin said with a fond look on his face.

"who's freya?" Arthur asked, almost too afraid to ask.

"Heidi's Mother. We met in my last year of med school, she was just starting. We started off as friends who grew into something more and - as cliché as it sounds - fell in love. Things moved kind of fast and before we both knew it, we were moving in with each other and one night, she fell pregnant. About 12 months after Heidi was born, we were in a car accident which killed her. Heidi and I were fine, she got a few scrapes and bruises and I broke my collarbone but Freya never made it off the operating table. From then on, I became a single parent and with the help from my parents, I moved into my own apartment"

"then your parents died" Arthur gaped at him, unable to imagine Merlin having to step up and become a single parent after the love of his life died.

"Yeah" Merlin smiled sadly. "Dad was killed on the job, some psycho was killing teenagers all over the city and he was shot trying to protect his next victim. She lived, he didn't. Mum died from an overdose, couldn't handle the stress of Dad dying so she just gave up. It was hard, losing three of the closest people In my life within a year but I had a daughter I had to take care off, I couldn't let myself grieve because by that time she was teething and I had to focus on her"

"anyway, now you know why I moved back here and cut off contact with everyone from high school"

"Merls i-" Arthur closed his mouth and opened it again, unsure what to say. He wasn't sure where the nickname came from but Merlin didn't seem to mind. "I'm so sorry, I wish I was there I could have helped out around the apartment or been there for you"

"I know" Merlin looked up at him, a small smile on his face. Arthur was expecting tears to be streaming down his face but he figured Merlin didn't have any tears left to cry, he moved on. "Every day I wished I was back here with all of you guys and I knew I had to move back but it was expensive, I picked up so many extra shifts and had friends look after Heidi so I could come back"

"well" Arthur said, shifting closer and taking one of Merlin's hands in his. He wasn't exactly sure what made him do it, but he missed Merlin so much while he was gone. "I'm glad you did"

Merlin looked up at him with shimmering eyes and leaned closer. Arthur's breath hitched and he briefly thought Merlin was going to kiss him but he only put his head on Arthur's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. The blonde's hands instinctively wrapped tightly around Merlin's waist, his head tilting towards the other's hair like he used to. He breathed in Merlin's scent, a warmth pooling in his heart as he recognised the smell of Lavender and natural body oder, Merlin's smell.

They stayed like that for a few moments, only to pull away at the sound of small footsteps behind them. Arthur looked up to see Heidi standing in the doorway, her hair messy and her pink pyjama pants crinkled.

"What are you doing up?" Merlin asked, pulling away to pull her onto his lap.

"I had a bad dream" She mumbled, burying her head in Merlin's shirt. Arthur was starting to feel out of place, wondering if now was his cue to leave or not.

"Do you want to stay here for a while?" Merlin asked, his thumb gently wiping the tears that slowly started sliding down her cheeks. Heidi nodded in response, cracking a eye open to look up at Arthur.

"Who is he?" She said, pulling away to look Arthur up and down. Arthur felt himself blush under his gaze, though she's only a child it felt like he was being judged under her gaze.

"This is Arthur" Merlin said, looking up at him with a shy smile. Arthur smiled at the little girl, watching as she looked back at him with a knowing glimmer in his eyes.

"you mean Artie?"

Merlin almost choked, blushing furiously as his eyes darted between Arthur and Heidi. "uh yes, Artie"

Arthur laughed quietly, heat swirling through his body at the old nickname Merlin had given him when they were dating. Arthur religiously hated the nickname but the toothy grin that always appeared on Merlin's face at the nickname made it worth it. It never occurred to him that Merlin had told his daughter about him, and the fact he did made him want to melt into a puddle on the carpet.

***

After that day, Arthur had gotten Merlin's phone number from Gwen and they started talking. At first it was just a few texts through out the day, asking each other how their day was and how they planned to spend the evening. Then it turned into more personal questions, Arthur asking how Heidi was and how she was enjoying school. Somehow, it morphed into them calling each other at night, Merlin ranting about the teachers at Heidi's school and Arthur in turn venting about his Father's new secretary who - surprise surprise - was completely incompetent and was fired within three days.

Soon after they began calling each other frequently, Arthur suggested they start meeting for coffee or lunch to catch up some more and was surprised when Merlin seemed eager and agreed. So they started meeting each other every Wednesday for lunch while Heidi was at school and Arthur was on his break. Arthur would suggested places to eat and Merlin in turn would suggest food choices on the menu. They talked more in depth about their lives, Merlin talking about his school experiences in Dublin and about some of the friends he made and Arthur talking about what they were doing for the company and occasionally mention a love interest he had in the past but didn't work out.

Merlin would also talk about Heidi. Arthur learnt she is 4 years old, turning 5 in December - the same month as his birthday -, that her favourite colour is purple and she absolutely adored dragons. Apparently, one of her first words was 'dragon', Arthur didn't know if that part was made up or not but he decided to go with it.

Some days, Merlin had to pick Heidi up early from school so she would come along with them for lunches. Arthur learnt that Heidi was very smart for a 4 year old, a trait she no doubt got from her father. The resemblance between the two was fascinating. With Heidi perched on her Father's lap, Arthur could see just how much similarities they had. Their hair was the same - dark and unruly -, their cheek bones were the same - sharper than any blade -, but most importantly their eyes. Their eyes were the same deep blue shade with gold swirling around the iris.

Soon, their Wednesday lunch meetings turned into Arthur going to Merlin's apartment to have coffee there instead. Arthur quite liked going to Merlin's apartment if he was honest. He had become quite fond of Heidi these past few weeks and apparently, the feeling was mutual.

Every weekend when Arthur went to Merlin's apartment, the second he was though the door she was at his feet and he pulled her into his arms, twirling her in the air which made her fall into a fit of giggles.

The days they would go to the park, Heidi would walk in between them and Arthur noticed she was always touching him in some way. Wether it be holding his hand, clutching the fabric of his trousers or making him carry her.

Merlin had said once that she probably saw Arthur as a parent figure because her Mother had died when she was so young. Hearing that made Arthur's brain override with so many different emotions he didn't know what to focus on. Ever since the day of the high school reunion, Arthur had been trying to come to terms with the feelings he was having for Merlin but hearing that made him feel an overwhelming need to protect her. He knew right there and then that that's what he wanted, he wanted to be another Parent figure to the little girl who - despite being only 4 years old - randomly says facts about marine animals like its no big deal. Not only does he want to be with Heidi, he wants to be with Merlin.

He wants to move in with him, watch Merlin put his Daughter to bed then cuddle up with him in their own bed at night, only to watch him sleep in the mornings before their alarm rings and they have to go on about their lives, their lives together.

"I still cant believe how much she likes you" Merlin said when Arthur came back from pushing Heidi on the swings. They were once again at the park, sitting at a bench under the shade of a large oak tree while Heidi played with the other kids.

"me either" Arthur smiled, watching as Heidi ran off to play with another little girl and what he assumed to be her brother. "you don't mind do you? I don't want it to seem like im trying to replace her mother"

Merlin looked at him with a smile that was an answer in itself. "no of course not. Her mother died when she was very young, she only talks about her on the bad days but most of the time I don't think she remembers who she is. I loved her very much but it's in the past, I got over it, I've moved on. We both have."

Arthur nodded, hesitantly reaching out to take Merlin's hand in his own, smiling when Merlin didn't pull away but tightened his grip. "Plus, it's not like we're dating or anything. You cant really replace her if you're not in her position" Merlin said.

"you know, we could" Arthur said without thinking. His eyes went as wide as saucers when he realised what he said and he tried to pull his hand away but Merlin wasn't having it. He shifted closer on the already too small bench and tightened his grip even further.

"We could do what?" Merlin said, looking at Arthur with such innocent eyes though he figured Merlin already knew what he meant. Arthur swallowed, looking up and watching as Heidi and the other kids took turns sliding down the slide, their giggles floating with the wind. He swallowed hard and looked over at Merlin who was still staring at him with the same look in his eyes and Arthur knew he was going to have to say it.

"we could date" Arthur finally said, looking anywhere but Merlin. He heard him take a deep breath but he still didn't let go, in fact he brought his other hand to rest on Arthur's cheek to get him to look at him.

"you would like that? You want to date me again, even though we've barely talked to each other for 10 years except for these past few weeks?" Merlin asked softly.

"yes" Arthur said without missing a beat. "I've known for a long time that you're it for me Merls, hell I knew back in high school. I never stopped loving you, I never got with anyone else. The only reason I dated other people is because I missed you so much and I foolishly thought I could replace you with someone else, but I realised I couldn't"

"Arthur" Merlin breathed out. "I feel the same, have done for a long time. As much as I loved Freya and planned to Start a life with her, you were always going to be the one for me and she understood that. I told her about you within the first few months of us being friends and she started a ship name for us because she knew we were meant for each other"

Arthur snorted, tightening his grip on Merlin's hand. He hadn't realised it but they had become exceptionally close while Arthur was spilling his heart out. So much so that he could feel Merlin's hot breath against his neck and Arthur was - once again - overcome with an overwhelming urge to kiss him, so he did.

Merlin's lips tasted the same as what they did in high school, sweeter maybe but still the same texture. Arthur's hands went to Merlin's cheek and neck, his left thumb sliding against his jaw and his right rubbing circles against his cheekbones.

Merlin's hands went to Arthur's waist, clutching at the fabric of his jacket to bring him impossibly closer. When Merlin gently bit his bottom lip and sucked it into his mouth to deepen the kiss, Arthur's mind went blank and he let out a desperate sound.

They eventually had to pull apart when the need for air became too much but they kept their hands on each other and rester their foreheads together. Their breathing came out in harsh puffs against the other's lips and if it wasn't for the fact they were in a part with children running around, he would become hard because of it.

"What was the ship name?" Arthur asked once he had caught his breath enough to speak.

Merlin chuckled. "Merthur" Both men evolved into a fit of giggles, trading soft kisses and murmurs, only stopping when Heidi climbed onto Merlin's lap and promptly went to sleep without a word.

***

Life after that day was better than expected. They had went home that night and after putting Heidi to sleep, they talked about what each other wanted and by the end of it, they agreed on calling each other boyfriends but taking it slow. Merlin was unsure of telling their friends after everything that happened but after Arthur reassuring him they still loved him and understood he had reasons for not keeping in touch for over a decade, he agreed they could tell them once they went on a proper date.

Things didn't change as much as he thought they would though. Arthur still went over on the weekends to have coffee and go to the park, they still occasionally met on Wednesdays when one of them was busy on the weekends but they weren't as attached at the hip as he thought they would be. They did agree to take things slow so he would just have to settle for a few stolen kisses and hand holding for now.

It wasn't until they finally agreed to tell their friends did things change for the better. Merlin was understandably nervous about telling their friends so Arthur offered to pick him up and drive him home to make him feel better. Even though he probably would have picked him up anyway, it seemed to help.

When Arthur showed up at Merlin's apartment, he dropped his keys as soon as the door opened. Merlin was wearing black skinny jeans and a shirt that clung to his biceps in a way that complimented all of his other muscles at the same time.

"What? do I look okay?" Merlin asked when Arthur finally managed to snap out of his daze to pick up his Keys. His response was lips hungrily attacking his, a hand carding through his hair.

"is that a good enough answer for you?" Arthur smirked, pulling back to look at Merlin's flushed lips.

"you utter prat!" Merlin squawked. "I just did my hair, now I've gotta do it again"

Then he stormed off to the bathroom, grumbling something incoherent under his breath as he did so. Arthur chuckled, he knew Merlin wasn't really mad at him - annoyed, maybe - but not mad.

While Merlin was gone, Arthur walked around the living room to get a better look at the place. There were picture frames everywhere, some of Heidi and Merlin, some of just Heidi, some of Merlin and who Arthur assumed to be the friends in Dublin he talked about, and a few of Merlin and Heidi with who looked to be Freya. Freya was a beautiful women, with dark hair and brown eyes with duller cheekbones and a button nose.

The picture looked to be taken in the hospital on the day of Heidi's birth. The first thing Arthur noticed about the picture is how happy Merlin looked sitting on the edge of the hospital bed with his newborn daughter in his arms. It made his heart clench to think about how they were so happy at the time, they planned on getting married and growing a family, maybe even getting a dog, all for their hopes and dreams to end in one night.

Looking around some more, Arthur noticed a photo of he and Merlin in a white frame next to the TV. It was a photo of them they took in highschool. They were sitting on Arthur's couch, Merlin asleep on Arthur's lap while Arthur scrolled on his phone and absentmindedly stroked his hair. He remembered Gwen taking the photo and both her, Morgana and Merlin teasing him about being a sap the next day.

He smiled at the memory, a warmth spreading through his body at the thought of Merlin keeping the photo after all these years.

"okay I'm done, we can go now" Merlin said, breaking Arthur from his thoughts. Arthur nodded and with one last glance at the photo, walked over to Merlin and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He could tell Merlin was nervous about telling their friends, even though there was no reason to be. He himself was unsure how things would go but he knew his friends would be supportive in the end.

"Everything's going to be okay, love" Arthur murmured, pressing a kiss to Merlin's pouting lips.

"I know" Merlin sighed. "I guess I'm just nervous they'll hate me for shutting them out of my life. I already knew Gwen and Morgana wont be happy I had a child and they didn't know"

"they'll just have to get over it. Things were tough for you, you lost three people you loved in a year and you needed to focus on Heidi. Im sure they can put their bruised ego's aside and focus on the present" Arthur assured him. Merlin nodded and headed towards the door, grabbing his coat and keys as he did so.

"are we picking up Heidi on the way?" Arthur said, placing a hand on the small of Merlin's back and shutting the door behind him.

"yeah, I think it would be better for them see her so they dont think im trying to keep her from them. Plus school ends in an hour and who knows how long this will take.

***

Once they picked Heidi up, they drove to the cafe they agreed to meet at. When Arthur called Morgana to make the plans, she suggested they meet at a pub but Arthur quickly shot that idea down when he remembered Heidi would be coming as well. Of course he couldn't say that without revealing Merlin had a daughter in the first place so he just said Merlin didn't want to go to a pub and left it at that. They decided on meeting at the coffee shop he and Merlin used to meet at every Wednesday.

The second they pulled up outside the cafe and Merlin caught sight of their friends sitting inside, Arthur could tell he was panicking again so he grabbed his hand and put it to his lips, kissing every knuckle.

"Are you sure you want to do this? we can still bail if you don't feel ready" Arthur asked. Merlin shook his head, finally shifting his gaze from the cafe to him.

"No, I need to do this today otherwise they'll find out some other way and It will all go to hell"

"Alright" Arthur said, leaning over to place a kiss to Merlin's cheek before stepping out and waiting for Merlin to do the same. Once Merlin had gotten Heidi out of the backseat and joined him at the sidewalk, Arthur took a deep breath and clasped their hands together before they walked inside. The second they walked in, cheers were heard and the group stood up to hug Merlin as they approached.

"mate, I missed you" Gwaine said, pulling Merlin into a bear hug and not letting go for a very long time. Merlin chuckled, allowing himself to be pulled left and right like a pingpong ball, everyone giving him hugs and telling him how much he missed them.

"Gwen" Merlin smiled, pulling Gwen into a hug. Gwen and Merlin were exceptionally close in high school, having known each other since they were little.

No one seemed to notice Arthur standing off to the side with Heidi clutching at his leg until everyone sat down. Arthur could see the exact moment they all saw her and out of the corner of his eye he saw Merlin tense and shrink in on himself.

"who is this?" Morgana asked, her eyes darting between Arthur and Heidi like she assumed she was his daughter.

"Heidi, come here sweetie" Merlin spoke, causing all heads to turn to him as the little girl scrambled into the booth to sit on his lap. "this is my Daughter"

"What!" Gwaine and Morgana screeched. Pretty much everyone in the cafe turned to look at them and Merlin blushed deep red at the attention.

"you have a daughter? How? who?... What?"

"It's a lot to explain, can we order first?" Merlin asked, his desperate eyes telling his friends he really needed to relax first. The waitress came over with menu's after that and they all kept quiet while they ordered, though Merlin could tell everyone was begging to ask him questions. He knew he had to answer them but he really hadn't prepared himself enough for this and he needed to eat something otherwise he'd pass out. The waitress took their orders and the second she was gone, everyone started asking him all their questions at once.

"Who's the Mother?"

"how old is she?"

"where have you been?"

"Why didn't you keep in contact with us?"

Merlin's brain was swimming and he could feel his palms starting to sweat. He knew his breathing was getting ragged and he knew he would have gone into a full blown panic attack if Arthur didn't step in and put a grounding hand on his shoulder.

"guys, just wait a few minutes okay?" Arthur glared at them, causing them all to promptly stop talking and look at Merlin with worried expressions.

"Are you alright?" Arthur whispered so softly he almost missed it. Merlin nodded, taking a few deep breaths before tightening his hold on his Daughter.

Over the years, his daughter had become sort of a comfort to him whenever he was stressed or having an anxiety/panic attack. Heidi would sit on his lap and he would hold onto her like his life depended on it, crying silent tears onto her shoulder while she just sat there. She could probably sense something was upsetting him but it was likely she didn't know what, so she would just sit there and ramble on about whatever came to her mind, or some days she would just be silent.

The waitress soon came back with their meals and Merlin dived in, feeling like if he didn't get food inside him he would pass out. He was aware of the eyes on him when he gave Heidi some of his chips but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on his daughter and Arthur the whole time.

No one really spoke while they ate, except for Gwaine and Percival's occasional words to each other or laughter between Gwen and Morgana. When they finished eating, Merlin took a deep breath and finally acknowledged their friends.

"so I guess you all have a lot of questions but I think it would be easier to tell you it how I told Arthur" Merlin said.

"hang on, are you guys together?" Gwaine eyed them suspiciously and Merlin could tell he knew he and Arthur were holding hands under the table. Merlin smiled sheepishly and lifted their joined hands above the table, blushing when they all cheered and one of them let out a low whistle - probably lance -.

"okay" Merlin said. "You all know that I left London because my dad got a job but you don't know the whole story"

"My Father god a job in Dublin as an investigator in one of the biggest crime fighting units so naturally it was a once in a lifetime oppertunity. We only found out two days before we left and I was so preoccupied by packing my things and helping my parents find place to live in Ireland that I completely forgot about you guys, which is why i missed school for 2 days and we only got to meet at the cafe before I left the next day. As you know, Arthur and I tried to do the long distance thing but it was too stressful with the time differences and everything so we decided to just stay friends. When we moved, I started going to a high school round the corner of my house where I finished off the last 2 years of school and once I graduated, I went to uni to be a med student"

"A med student?" Morgana laughed."I didn't pick you as a med student type"

"He wasn't, he watched Greys's anatomy and all of the sudden wanted to be the next Merideth Grey" Arthur teased, shoving Merlin with his arm.

"I wanted to be Alex Karev, thank you very much" Merlin flushed.

"Anyway, halfway through my last year of Med school, I met a girl named Freya who was just starting her first year and we became friends. Friends soon turned into best friends and best friends soon turned into lovers and before we knew it, we were living together and she was pregnant. We planned on getting Married some day, having a few kids and maybe even a dog but she, uh she was killed in a car accident when Heidi was 12 months old. We were coming back from dinner and we were hit by a drunk driver. Heidi and I were fine, she had a few scrapes and bruises and I broke my collar bone but Freya never made it off the surgery table"

"I'm so sorry" Gwen gasped, reaching for Merlin's free hand across the table.

"thanks" Merlin smiled sadly. "Life was tough after that, my parents helped me get my own apartment and everything else I needed. I was struggling with Freya's death and her funeral but I had Heidi to focus on so I didn't think much about it until my parents died. It wasn't even 10 months later when I got the call saying my Dad was killed on the job, he was trying to talk a serial killer from killing a little girl and while he managed to get the girl away, he was shot in the process. Mum and I then had to plan his funeral and somewhere in the midst of it all, it got too much to handle for Mum and she overdosed."

"So yeah, now you know why I stopped contact with you all and how this little one got here" Merlin said, tickling the sensitive spot under Heidi's ribs to make her dissolve into a fit of giggles.

"god Merlin, I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone" Lance said. "I don't mean to seem judgy but why didn't you call us?, we would flown there in a heartbeat"

"I don't know, I guess everything was just happening at once and I didn't even think about it until a year later. When I did think about it i figured I had left it too late and you guys wouldn't want to hear from me anymore so I just left it alone"

"Merls, we would have understood. We were upset that you stopped talking to us because you're like a little brother to us, but we understood you had a new life. We were never mad" Morgana assured him.

"thank's guys" Merlin smiled. "anyway, how are things with you guys? I hear you guys got married" he said to Gwen and Lance who blushed.

"Yes we did, three years ago this August" Gwen smiled brightly. "Were also buying a house in the valley somewhere in a few months"

"this is so exciting" Merlin laughed. "you know you're never going to get rid of us right?"

"We don't mind, we have a lot of catching up to do" Lance chimed in, "plus we need to know some more about Heidi"

"we'll I'm sure she'd love to tell you about herself, she's very good at that" Arthur snorted. "she's very smart, she has a habit of spouting random animal facts and her favourite colours purple of course"

"and yellow" Heidi giggled. Arthur rolled his eyes, just a few days ago her favourite colours were Purple and Blue.

"She loves unicorns and Dragons, one of her first words was actually dragon" Merlin said. Arthur still wasn't sure if that was made up or not. Merlin and Arthur took turns telling random facts about Heidi while the other's watched them with fond smiles on their faces. They were devastated when Merlin and Arthur broke up but they didn't worry too much because they had eyes, they could see how much they were made for eachother and they knew eventually they'd find their way back to each other. They were right.

***

Merlin and Arthur grew closer after that. Arthur spent most of his nights at Merlin's apartment and the days he didn't sleep over there, he would usually call or FaceTime them so Heidi could sleep. She had taken to snuggling against Arthurs chest of a night when the three of them watched a movie, so now she couldn't sleep without him. It made both Merlin and Arthur nervous because they both knew it would tear her apart if they didn't work out but they both had a good feeling about their relationship so they didn't worry too much about it.

"Merls" Arthur called out form the doorway, shucking off his shoes and coat. Not even a minute passed before tiny footsteps were heard and he had to steady himself against the door as Heidi flung herself into his arms.

"Heidi, what have I told you about doing that?" Merlin huffed, pressing a kiss to Arthur's forehead as a greeting. Arthur pouted when Merlin pulled away and chase his lips, deepening the kiss before Heidi started squirming in his arms and he was forced to pull away before he dropped her.

"hey" Merlin smiled, giving Arthur a slow kiss before pulling away and snuggling tightly into his chest. Arthur chuckled and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him impossibly closer.

"Whats wrong?"

"nothing, I'm just so tired. Heidi's been having nightmares lately so I haven't been sleeping very well" Merlin yawned to make a point. Arthur kissed Merlins forhead again then lifted him into his arms, ignoring his squeak of protest and dropped him onto the couch.

"sleep, I'll take care of Heidi" Arthur said, draping a blanket over him.

"Arthur, you can't" Merlin protested and stood up. Arthur huffed, knowing he would never win in an argument against Merlin.

"Fine, how about we watch a movie and if you just so happen to fall asleep then I wont wake you up" Arthur smirked, taking Heidi's hand and guiding her towards the couch.

"what do you want to watch?" He asked her, crouching beside the DVD collection.

"Frozen!" she beamed. Arthur stifled a groan, they had watched Frozen every night that weak, he was sure he could recite every lyric by now.

"okay, Frozen it is" Arthur said, faking enthusiasm as he slid the DVD in and turned the lights off. He sat back on the couch, putting Merlin's feet on his lap and letting Heidi crawl onto his chest.

"Arthur, you really don't have to do this. She's only going to wake up in the middle of the night anyway" Merlin protested, but made no move to get up. Instead he pulled the blanket up further and Arthur noticed his eyes slip shut.

"mhm" Arthur laughed quietly, carding a hand through Heidi's hair as the movie played. It wasn't long before Merlin's breathing evened out and he was asleep, nor did it take long for Heidi to do the same.

Arthur smiled fondly at the both, tightening his hold on Heidi as he shifted himself so he was lying between the couch and Merlin with his chest to Merlin's back. Arthur shifted back as far as he could so Heidi could slide in the space between them. It was a tight fit, but neither of them woke up so he counted it as a win. Arthur slid an arm around Merlin's waist, feeling around until he found his hand then tangled their fingers together. He manoeuvred Merlin's arm as best he could to bring his hand to his lips, kissing over every knuckle before resting their hands on his waist.

He felt so loved and happy in this moment. Not even a month ago he was being dragged to his high school reunion where he spent 3 hours following his sister around like a kicked puppy.

Not even a month ago he was seeing Merlin for the first time in 10 years, his heart stuttering at the sight.

Not even a month ago he was sitting on this very couch for the first time, listening to Merlin talk about losing the people closest to him.

Not even a month ago, he was jus starting to figure out his feelings again and wouldn't have even thought about him and Merlin dating again, let alone practically becoming a family.

Now, he was lying on Merlin's couch with his - their - daughter cuddled up to his chest, he and Merlin's hands and legs tangled together while Frozen 2 played in the background. This wasn't what he was planning that day not even a month ago, but he was sure as hell glad it happened.

**Author's Note:**

> I read over this once but it was very brief, if anyone find any mistakes please comment them so I can fix it.


End file.
